Hey friends, in today's email we will be discussing:

Google AI Overview: Google's new AI tool launched in the US.

Narcissistic leaders: How to recognize a narcissistic leader and how to deal with them.

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Google AI Overview: Transforming Search with AI-Powered Responses!

Google AI Overview started rolling out across the US last week. If you haven’t heard yet, Google is using their own AI models to help people find the information that they need. Search Engine Result Pages will change forever, as you’ll get a chat-like response.

The AI will give answers to queries drawn from a range of sources in a single answer. AI Overview will serve ads within the answer that it gives, but no one truly knows what this is going to look like in the future.

Currently, as advertisers, we have some control over the products that we are showing for specific keywords or audiences. What this will look like with AI Overview is unsure. Google mentioned that advertisers don’t have to make any changes or take additional actions for their ads to appear in AI Overview.

Make sure to keep track of the changes that are being made on Google, as this could impact your traffic. We don’t know the impact on our ads, but we also don’t know the impact on our SEO results. We don’t know how to optimize towards the AI Overview. We’ll need to wait and learn.

Oh and lastly, Google will have their work cut out for them as well, as the AI Overview can give terrible answers. Here are a few examples:

I never knew the health benefits of running with scissors, but I learn something new every day!

Or the benefit of taking a bath with a toaster?

Start eating rocks, no really.

But my favourite will be: adding glue to your pizza (at least it’s non-toxic)!

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Surviving a Narcissistic Leader: Strategies for Coping at Work

Working with a narcissistic leader is terrible, I speak from experience. They drain your energy, make you feel insignificant, and worst of all, they will blame you for everything. Today I want to help you identify if you’re working with a narcissistic leader and how you can deal with them effectively (before running away).

How to recognize a narcissistic leader:

To begin, Narcissistic leaders often feel an exaggerated sense of self-importance and believe that they are superior to others.

They will try to avoid any type of responsibility, as they don’t want to be held accountable. On top of that, if things do go well, they tend to take credit for others’ accomplishments.

They have a lack of empathy. These leaders will show little to no concern for their subordinates’ feelings and needs, they can even be abusive or dismissive.

Narcissistic leaders are rule breakers. They believe that the rules that apply to people, don’t apply to them. They think they're special and need to be treated specially.

And lastly, they have emotional outbursts. Any disagreement can trigger explosive reactions.

I knew I was dealing with a narcissistic leader when I wasn’t able to hold them accountable for their own actions. When I did, they started yelling at me and telling me it wasn’t their fault, but someone else was at fault.

Below are some methods you can use to deal with narcissistic leaders, however, it might be good to consider your options. Working with a narcissistic leader is not easy by any means and will take a toll on your mental health. There is nothing wrong with leaving a place when dealing with a narcissistic leader.

To make changes, you’ll need to set clear boundaries. This should help prevent a narcissist from overstepping. Be firm and consistent in your communication for this to work.

Document interactions. This might sound crazy, but narcissistic people love to dismiss previous conversations. By keeping detailed records you can track their behavior and be useful if you need to escalate the issue.

Try to stay professional. Showing your emotions to a narcissist will be used and exploited. Focus only on facts and work.

Limit contact. It might be hard but try to minimize the direct interactions. Use emails and scheduled meetings to control the flow of communication.

Focus on things outside of work (like: sports, family, music, etc). Try to maintain your mental health in ways that you would normally do.

If the behaviour of the narcissist becomes unbearable, there might be a moment where you’ll have to step up and talk about it with management or HR. Present the documented evidence. When doing this, do know that there might be a moment when you’ll be the one leaving, not the narcissistic leader.

You might think it’s a loss, but over time you will realize that this was the best outcome.

I’ve dealt with this myself. Mentally this was the hardest time of my life and this lasted a couple of years. Remember, working with a narcissist isn’t normal. There are only losers when working with them. They will make you feel terrible and everybody around them.

In the end, it’s the company that needs to realize that this can’t go on. If they don’t do that while you are there, then so be it. More people will leave that place depressed as long as they have to deal with this narcissistic leader.

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Podcast episode(s) you'd love

• ​Conversations with Tyler: Benjamin Moser on the Dutch Masters, Brazil, and Cultural Icons. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Benjamin Moser chats about the forgotten Dutch masters, productive Rembrandt, the Kunstmuseum (art museum), and Dutch social tolerance tensions.

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Found any interesting articles yourself? Please share it with me, as I am always interested in learning something new.

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